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In this activity, students read secondary literature and trace the course of our understanding, development and use of botulinum toxin from when it was known only as a kind of food poisoning to its development as a bioweapon to its current use as medicinal and cosmetic therapy. This activity is designed as a teaser, and formal assessment or evaluation is not necessary. Rather, the assigned essays and accompanying questions serve as segue to lectures on such basic cell biology topics as vesicular trafficking and protein-protein interactions.
By presenting real-world examples, this activity highlights the relationship between science and society. Students are not required to have a particular level of scientific background, making the activity appropriate for both biology majors and non-majors. The activity seeks to:
- Provide a glimpse into botulinum toxin use and
abuse.
- Demonstrate that scientific discoveries are made
by asking questions, seeking answers, and developing
collaborations between scientists and non-scientists.
- Highlight the interdependency of different sectors of biology, both public and private.
- Reveal the influence that advances in basic science, law, business, society, and medicine can have on one another.
This Activity has two assignments for instructors to choose between or combine. Assignment 1 calls for individual reflection and does not necessarily use class time. Assignment 2 is an expanded version of Assignment 1 involving small group work and class discussion during one class session. The Teaching Notes outline strategy for implementation and several alternatives for using these assignments that instructors might wish to consider.
Assignment 1: Personal
Reflection
Assignment 2: Structured
Class Discussion
Teaching Notes
For a downloadable/printable version in PDF format of these pages visit Core Materials
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